“Alright Guv’nor”

School Governors can seem to the rest of the school community to be a pretty mysterious bunch. They pop up in school on a sporadic but regular basis and whilst I know what they do it may be the case that many in our community do not. At this point in any conversation regarding school governance I usually make a facetious comment about governors and bidets, but as I like my role and they are in school next week I’m not writing it, ask me if you are interested.

The Governing Board at the BSP comprises of individuals who provide the school with specialist support and also more general wisdom. They are, in short, our critical friends. Their knowhow covers a wide range of areas including subjects as diverse as law, finance, real estate, medicine, higher education, safeguarding, fundraising and communication. We have three Head teachers who ensure that we are making the right choices educationally. We don’t pay them, they do this because they believe that the BSP is an institution worthy of their support and we are grateful for the enormous amounts of time that they devote to helping us improve. Some of our governors have children at the school, some have children who attended the school and some have never had a child at the BSP. A number are retired, many fit their gubernatorial service around very busy working schedules.

The School’s management team meets with governors in various committees and at the Board meetings held four times a year. Governors regularly visit lessons, meet with students and staff, involve themselves in fundraising and attend school events. They even have to attend training sessions to ensure their skills are honed to perfection. Whilst not always obvious they are a constant source of support and this is a good opportunity to recognise their contribution to our community. As a school we value integrity; there is no doubt that our governors ensure that we who work at the School are always seeking to improve and that the School is run with the best interests of the young people it educates as its priority.

While considering the subject of higher authority, can I remind those who drop off around the Senior School site that the Mairie has instituted restrictions for car use on the quayside? The restrictions issued on Monday mean that parents should not drive cars on the road in front of the Senior School. We have been reassured that there is no danger to pedestrians and cyclists but we can no longer use buses on this stretch of road. Following flood and snow this is perhaps a minor inconvenience.

Thank you to all parents involved with Around the World Day today, it was a magnificent event and I was disappointed to be unable to join in to the extent that I would have wished, similarly a very big thanks to all who opened their homes to host players for the ISST rugby competition. We are fortunate indeed to have your support in all that we do.